Brief Description Of The Prior Art
Many types of quick disconnect couplings are known in the prior art. Many of these include elongated latching handles which are mounted externally on a female socket element with a cam head or cam structure on each handle which projects through an opening in the socket, and functions to engage a groove formed in a male adapter element, and bias the male adapter into interfitting, telescoped sealing relationship to the socket when the latch handles are pivoted to the latching position. The coupling can then be quickly released by pivoting the handles in the opposite direction so that the adapter can be extricated from the socket. Several patents of the type described are U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,934 to Parrish, U.S. Pat. No. 2,641,490 to Krapp and U.S. Pat. No. 2,478,586 to Krapp and U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,474.
A safety hazard often exists in the use of certain quick disconnect couplings employed for connecting the opposed ends of two lines for the purpose of conveying a fluid under high pressure from one point to another via the coupling. This hazard exists at the time that the coupling is unlatched, and the high pressure fluid is enabled to escape between the adapter and the socket, thereby creating a serious hazard to persons who may be standing adjacent the coupling at that time. Some devices have heretofore been proposed for assuring that the coupling will not decouple when the latching handles are pivoted, without some warning to persons nearby or some safety feature which will prevent total uncoupling, but rather will allow the high pressure fluid to bleed in a controlled fashion through the cracked coupling before complete disconnection occurs.
One of the types of quick disconnect couplings which includes a pin which prevents the coupling from being decoupled by pivotation of the coupling handles, and thus affords a safety feature against the release of high pressure fluid, is depicted in the "BOSS-LOCK" brochure of the Dixon Valve and Coupling Company, and is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,670.
Another type of quick disconnect coupling which includes a safety pin is that which is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,195 to Vargo.
Some devices have heretofore been proposed for assuring that the coupling will not decouple when the latching handles are pivoted without some warning to persons nearby, or some safety feature which will prevent total uncoupling and allow the high pressure fluid to bleed in a controlled fashion through the cracked coupling before complete disconnection occurs.